Jerome's own conviction complicated his legal options because a civil claim could not simply proceed as though the existing judgment did not matter. His attorneys began a separate effort to obtain appropriate post-conviction relief using the newly discovered evidence of misconduct. Nathaniel supported that effort with funds for legal costs, without directing the representation or asking Jerome to become a public symbol. The distinction mattered to Jerome, who had spent years feeling as though other people could make decisions about his life without listening to him.
A few mornings later, federal authorities received information that Cheney had contacted an associate about leaving the state despite conditions imposed during the pending proceedings. Investigators also had Calvin's recording of the nighttime drive past Ruthie's home and other witness statements concerning possible intimidation. Prosecutors presented the concerns through the court process, and a judge authorized action to ensure Cheney appeared for trial. When federal marshals located him near the county line with a packed suitcase and travel plans he could not satisfactorily explain, they took him into custody under the lawful order.
At his detention hearing, Cheney's lawyer argued that he had been going to visit family and had no intention of fleeing. Prosecutors presented the communications and other circumstances that raised concerns about nonappearance and interference. The judge heard both sides before ordering him held pending further proceedings. It was not the suitcase alone that decided the matter, and the judge made that clear.
The decision spread quickly through Carthage. Some residents celebrated, while others complained that the government was treating a police officer like a dangerous criminal before he had been convicted. Nathaniel found the reactions unsettling in both directions. He wanted Cheney held accountable, but he also wanted him to receive the procedures and protections he had denied others. A case about arbitrary authority would be diminished if its supporters began cheering for arbitrary punishment.
Simone noticed the strain the investigation had placed on Nathaniel's routine. He had returned to duty, taking calls from his staff and traveling back to North Carolina between meetings with lawyers, but he slept poorly. Sometimes he woke before dawn and sat at the edge of their bed without turning on a light. She learned not to ask immediately what he was thinking, but to sit beside him until he was ready to speak.
One night he told her he still heard Cheney saying, "You move, I shoot." Simone took his hand. "That doesn't disappear because a judge signs an order," she said. Nathaniel nodded.
"I know. The strange part is, I've heard worse things in combat. But I knew where I was then. I knew the rules of the situation. On that road I thought I was home."
She told him he could seek counseling without turning it into a statement about his fitness to command. Nathaniel had encouraged soldiers to get support for years, but applying the advice to himself was harder than he expected. Eventually he agreed to meet privately with a professional experienced in trauma. He did not tell his staff, because he did not want the decision to become another item in the public conversation about the general and the arrest.